A domineering boss falling in love with a 50-year-old female traditional Chinese medicine doctor and a middle aged woman returning to the workplace and leveling up – “later in life” dramas featuring characters in their 50s seem to be gaining traction amongst viewers.
Veteran actress Liu Xiaoqing leads the short drama Cute Baby Assists: 50-Year-Old Lovely Marriage (lit. 萌宝助攻：五十岁婚宠), expected to premiere on March 28. The actress, who’s fondly called Grandma Qing at age 74, plays a 50-year-old skilled acupuncturist who marries a man to escape a sticky familial situation. Her new husband is played by actor Geng Dayong who’s decades younger in real life.
Meanwhile, the eternally youthful looking Carman Lee stars as the wealthy housewife Chen Lin in the short drama Dr Wu (午後玫瑰) who teams up with Zhang Xiye’s character Qiao Ran to find their groove in the workplace. A full time mum who returns to work and a frustrated “nobody”: it’s a worthy story of women supporting women that results in both finding their self-worth. Carman Lee who headlined and produced the drama said 59 is just the right age to venture out.
Carman’s short drama recently trended on hot searches as it made its first television broadcast while Grandma Qing’s drama will be premiering very soon. The latter brings typical drama tropes—love after marriage and the overbearing CEO—but with middle-aged leads that some find “outrageous;” nevertheless, it looks like later-in-life romance stories may be carving out their own niche.
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Arduinna
It’s about time older actors got more opportunities! There are so many talented actors that no longer fit the “eternal youth” criteria and it is very sad to see them reduced to supporting roles as emperors or (grand-)mothers behind some youthful pretty faces with limited acting skills.
The current wrinkle-phobia that seems to cloud many netizens’ judgement is pushing many younger actors towards medical procedures to “fix” their faces which not only hurts their health, but also ruins their ability to act. It would be a relief for them as well to know that their career isn’t over once they are “past their prime”.
XZF
Also I noticed quite a few actors/actresses in their 40’s or 50’s playing parents to the actors/actresses only about 15 years old or less younger than them in real life. Often they look like sisters/brothers/brother & sister. It’s so weird. I’m sure they can find older actors/actresses to play those parents’ roles.